Chelsea rode a wave of momentum to secure its fourth straight Premier League victory on Wednesday. The win, along with a Newcastle loss, has the Blues in pole position to finish in a European spot. Mauricio Pochettino had a wealth of options to pick but went with a lineup similar to what Chelsea fans are used to.
Cole Palmer continued his run of excellent form scoring the first with a curling header. Christopher Nkunku followed this up with a second-half finish to secure the three points even with a Reece James red card. Below are three talking points that came out of the game.
Bright spots for the future
Current efforts to finish in a place that secures European play for the Blues next season have taken up most of the talk around Chelsea. With a chance for Chelsea to finish 6th or even 5th depending on the fixtures to be played this coming weekend, this talk is more than warranted. With that being said one of the positives about the superb recent performances is the ability to look ahead to next season.
Players like Nkunku and James have had little to no gameplay this season due to injury. Watching them play, even in limited time, should be exciting for any Chelsea fan. The left side of the attack has been questionable at points of the season, but Nkunku looked right at home during his cameo on the left on Wednesday.
Jackson also spent some time on that side and looked good as well. If the Blues are to bring in another striker the triple punch of Jackson, Nkunku, and Mudryk will provide the needed competition and high-level play Chelsea have been looking for all year.
Nkunku isn't the only one coming back next season, though. Defender Levi Colwill is now healthy and will be joined by Wesley Fofana in the offseason. The departing of the legend Thiago Silva is sad, no doubt, but our young defense is starting to show more passion and will be exciting to watch next year.
Left back issue no more?
With the return of the 2-5-3 in recent weeks, Marc Cucurella has filled more of an inverted left-back position. Since moving to this he has thrived and has delivered excellent performance after excellent performance.
There were shouts that the Blues should spend money this summer bringing in an established left-back but that might not be the case anymore. While Chelsea will still need a solid second option, especially if it lets Chilwell go, the Blues won't have to spend as much as once believed.
It could be a crazy shout but at times during the match, I was having flashbacks to the prime James and Chilwell wing-back days. Even when Gusto was playing instead of James the Blues are just so much better when its flanks are covered on both ends. An assist from Gusto and Cucerella proves as much.
The last talking point is quite simple, but finally, there is a positive buzz around the Blues. It has been almost two full seasons since I could go on X (formally known as Twitter) and see only positive remarks towards the team. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but I am actually really looking forward to next season. A shame this one has to come to an end just as things are getting good.